I am dreading the holidays at this moment because we are too broke to save the $$$$$ to shop with!

You're a thrifty shopper, if anyone can do it, you can!

Our neighbor celebrated last Christmas with no gifts, so they could celebrate the real meaning of it. I keep forgetting to ask her how it went, because sometimes I feel like I'd like to see how that would be, even though I really like buying things for other people.

The holly's up, the house is all bright, The tree is ready, the candles alight; Rejoice and be glad, all children tonight.

I am dreading the holidays at this moment because we are too broke to save the $$$$$ to shop with!

I'm sorry to hear that. I know how that feels like. The first year we lived together we sometimes had to collect our empty plastic bottles to be able to buy food at the end of the month. Naturally we didn't have much too spend for christmas and it turned out that did not matter at all. It ended up to be one of my cherished christmasses. Especially because we made it special, with so little money. You can do it! Don't worry!

When I was about 11, I think. Apparently my parents were really concerned because I was starting secondary school and they thought that people would be making fun of me, and they'd have to tell me, but apparently I'd started to faze out anyway.

The tragic thing is, I watch home videos of Christmas when I was ten or so, and I see myself saying to my mum "Are these from Santa?" and she pauses for about ten seconds and says "Erm... well... they weren't there last night..." in a REALLY awkward and reluctant voice. It's so depressing!

Then the following year I was obviously having doubts but didn't want to completely give up hope. My parents and I were sat around the TV watching one of those shows where a load of d-list celebrities talk about their Christmases as kids, and one woman said something like "My parents used to tell me, you be careful with those toys! It's our money paid for those toys, not some fat bloke come down the chimney!"

And my parents laughed, not realising that I'd been desperately clinging onto my last glimmer of possibility. It wasn't very nice. It didn't spoil my Christmas, it just made the next morning a little weird now that it was certain. I was a sweet kid though, and just took it as reason to thank my parents even more for presents...

My little cousins are refusing to believe now. The boy is 10 and is quite effeminate and sweet in his own way, and I think he would believe if it wasn't for awful, rough children growing up too fast around here. And the girl is two years younger than him but is a total tomboy and really brash, so there's no chance of her believing in pixie dust. Three years ago though they went to see Santa in Lapland which made them believe for another year. And then two years ago I went to Disneyland with them in December which brought some festiveness out in them. I'm not sure about last year. They seem to claim not to believe, but then they're willing to see Santa in his Grotto. Probably for the free gifts alone though ¬_¬ Bah.

When I'm a parent I'll be smothering my child in sentimental mush and making Christmas so excessively fairy-dust coated that they won't be able to escape from it. Mwhahaha.

I think I was about nine or ten. I had kinda known for a while he wasn't real but to be sure that Christmas Eve I slept downstairs but, before I fell asleep I counted all my gifts(yes I really did this!) durning the night I never heard anything and when I woke up I had the same amount of gifts as I had the night before. So it was then I knew he wasn't real.

When I was 8 my oldest brother tried to convince me that Santa was really just Mom and Dad by bringing me into their bedroom and showing me all the gifts, wrapped and ready to be put under the tree for Christmas a few days later....

I wrote a letter to Santa telling him what my brother showed me. I also thanked him for being so generous for sending the gifts to my parents early that year. I knew how busy he must get on Christmas Eve, so it only made sense that he would send out some kids' gifts to their parents in order to keep things efficient....

Yeah, so it turns out that Jed (my brother) was dead wrong... Our parents weren't Santa, but actually, they're his helpers. And now that I'm moved out, I'll soon be training to be his helper too! I'm so excited!

That's great!

The holly's up, the house is all bright, The tree is ready, the candles alight; Rejoice and be glad, all children tonight.

To be honest with you I still believe in Santa sometimes and actually wonder if there really isn't a Santa. No I am not nutso or dellusional. LOL Well sometimes I am. Back in 1996 my husband and I were in Builder Square with our 4 year old son. He was sitting in the seat of the shopping cart and we were looking at tools for someone for Christmas. There was a man working in that area that looked just like Santa Claus. My son pointed and said, "Look there is the real Santa". He walked over to us and asked if he could help and I said, "Are you really the real Santa Clause?" Now let me tell you the man looked like Santa Claus and he had the bluest twinkling eyes I've ever seen in my life. He looked me in the eye and said, "Yes I am the real Santa Claus." Then he winked at me and my husband. My husbands mouth fell open and I gasped. My son gleefully clapped his hands and said, "I told you he was the real Santa Claus" My husband and I were fabblergasted because the oddiest sensation came over the both of us as if "is this man really Santa?" We looked at each other and turned to say something and he was gone. I am not joking. He probably went on break or something but it was so real and to this day we can't help but wonder is there really a Santa if we would only believe.

That's awesome!

The holly's up, the house is all bright, The tree is ready, the candles alight; Rejoice and be glad, all children tonight.